- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has engaged with the UK Government on any proposals to reform the grid connection queue in order to remove so-called zombie scheme energy applications, and, if so, whether it will provide details of such engagement.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39878 on 3 September 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13680 by Michael Matheson on 18 January 2023, what information it holds on how much water production has been lost as a result of leakages in the Scottish Water supply area covering Argyll Islands, Argyll Mainland, Caithness, Fort William, Orkney, Ness, Shetland, Skye, and West Coast and Western Isles, in each month since January 2021.
Answer
As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked them to respond. Scottish Water have provided estimates for the average total daily leakage levels in each month since January 2021 from water mains in the area requested (covering Argyll Islands, Argyll Mainland, Caithness, Fort William, Orkney, Ness, Shetland, Skye, West Coast, and Western Islands) in the following table. Figures are given in megalitres per day.
Year/ Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
2021 | 53.0 | 58.7 | 49.0 | 44.1 | 43.1 | 44.3 | 46.2 | 45.3 | 44.8 | 43.9 | 45.2 | 45.9 |
2022 | 46.2 | 46.4 | 45.6 | 39.3 | 39.7 | 39.3 | 41.5 | 41.9 | 40.3 | 41.8 | 42.0 | 47.4 |
2023 | 48.0 | 46.3 | 44.8 | 40.6 | 38.9 | 43.9 | 42.1 | 43.2 | 41.8 | 43.0 | 43.5 | 48.1 |
2024 | 49.6 | 45.8 | 42.4 | 40.3 | 39.0 | 40.6 | 41.1 | 39.6 | 39.7 | 39.8 | 40.1 | 41.4 |
2025 | 46.2 | 42.9 | 40.4 | 39.1 | 39.4 | 38.6 | 40.7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 2 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assistance is available to allow people in the Highlands and Islands region who reside outside Inverness to utilise the Nevis House rehabilitation service.
Answer
The Scottish Government provided £2.4m to support the development of Nevis House, as part of our aim to increase residential rehab capacity – particularly for areas outside the Central Belt.
Nevis House will provide six beds, equating to up to 22 placements a year. It aims to support referrals from more remote parts of the Highlands alongside the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland.
Nevis House expands on existing work carried out at Beechwood House, offering residential rehabilitation, community outreach and social care to people affected by substance use in rural areas.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 2 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31416 by Neil Gray on 28 November 2024, how many Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM) graduates from summer 2023 have since taken up GPST 1 posts in Scotland following completion of their foundation year 2, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
At the time of response six ScotGEM 2023 graduates have already taken up GPST 1 posts in Scotland, these are broken down by health board in the following table.
Health board | GPST 1 post taken up by 2023 ScotGEM graduate |
NHS Borders | 1 |
NHS Forth Valley | 1 |
NHS Grampian | 1 |
NHS Highland | 1 |
NHS Lanarkshire | 1 |
NHS Lothian | 1 |
The Scottish Government is currently undertaking an initial evaluation of the ScotGEM programme, which will include analysis of student destinations following undergraduate study.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on virtual private network (VPN) services in each year since 2021.
Answer
In keeping with our network security policy, we can neither confirm nor deny the use of VPNs by revealing any cost or lack thereof. This is consistent with our response to a recent FOI (202500480214) asking a similar question and aligns to the approach taken by government bodies across the UK. Providing details on the type of networking tools used could provide hostile actors with information on the setup, and potential weak points, of sensitive government systems.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 2 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown showing which organisations secured funding from the Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund in each year since 2021, including how much funding was awarded.
Answer
The information requested is available online, please find the details requested as follows:
2025 data is excluded as the fund is currently open for applications and results are pending.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 1 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12986 by Jamie Hepburn on 20 December 2022, how many students have taken up a medical school place at the University of (a) Glasgow, (b) Edinburgh, (c) Aberdeen, (d) St Andrews and (e) Dundee, in each year since 2020-21.
Answer
The numbers of entrants to first degree pre-clinical medicine courses, by university, have been provided in the following table.
The tables only cover those entering ‘pre-clinical medicine’ and do not include other students entering medical schools on ‘clinical medicine’ or students in continuing years of study.
First degree entrants to pre-clinical medicine at Scottish Providers
| | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
The University of Aberdeen | 215 | 220 | 280 | 300 |
The University of Dundee | 185 | 185 | 195 | 230 |
The University of Edinburgh | 235 | 255 | 285 | 275 |
The University of Glasgow | 335 | 325 | 295 | 335 |
The University of St Andrews | 175 | 250 | 190 | 190 |
Total | 1,145 | 1,230 | 1,240 | 1,335 |
Source: HESA student data
Pre-clinical medicine as defined by HECOS subject classification '100276'
Entrants covers new students only
Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5
Includes all domiciles of entrants
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 1 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding its Community and Renewable Energy Scheme has provided to support the repair of community-owned wind turbines in each year since 2021.
Answer
The Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) scheme has, on occasion, provided ad hoc support to communities looking to repair small scale wind turbines. Currently, CARES supports renewable energy generation projects through its Community Energy Generation Growth Fund. While support is focussed on the development of new projects, repairs can be considered as part of a wider project on a case-by-case basis.
Since 2021, CARES has offered a total of £63,772 in funding to support the repair of community-owned wind turbines. £24,000 was offered in 2021 and £39,772 has been offered in 2025.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 1 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many organisations made applications to the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund in 2024-25, broken down by eligible town.
Answer
The Regeneration Capital Grant Fund was paused in 2024-25 and no applications were received.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 1 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04825 by Kate Forbes on 22 December 2021, what the annual costs have been of the (a) renewal, (b) management and (c) enterprise DNS provision for the Scottish Government domains portfolio in each year since 2021.
Answer
Our Domains Management contract provides Scottish Government and other Scottish Public Sector organisations a single set annual cost on a per top level domain basis. The cost per domain is set for the duration of the contracted period and includes the annual renewal, management and enterprise DNS fees.
Renewal date | Scottish Government portfolio cost |
30-06-2021 | £13,267.50 (ex VAT) |
30-06-2022 | £16,289.00 (ex VAT) |
30-06-2023 | £16,729.00 (ex VAT) |
30-06-2024 | £18,974.00 (ex VAT) |
30-06-2025 | £20,190.00 (ex VAT) |